SBS drama Sunshine tonight won the AACTA for best mini-series.
Starring Melanie Lynskey, Anthony LaPaglia, and newcomer Wally Elnour, Sunshine is a vibrant, kinetic and compelling high stakes fictional crime drama that delves behind the headlines to get up close and personal with the lives of the South Sudanese community in Australia.
This was one of six nominations SBS received at the AACTA Awards this year. Sunshine actor Anthony LaPaglia was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Drama, while Destination Flavour Singapore received a nomination for Best Lifestyle Television Program. Deep Water: The Real Story, the documentary that accompanied SBS 2016 flagship drama Deep Water, was nominated for three awards: Best Feature Length Documentary, Best Direction in a Documentary, and Best Cinematography in a Documentary.
2017 marked the seventh annual AACTA Awards, held at The Star Event Centre in Sydney. The big winner this evening was the film Lion, which won all five of its nominated categories, including Best Film, Best Direction for Garth Davis, and Best Supporting Actor for BAFTA Award winner Dev Patel, who received the AACTA International Award for his role earlier this year.
In addition to winning Best Supporting Actress for LION, which Nicole Kidman won the AACTA International Award for earlier this year, she was also awarded for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama for the Jane Campion series Top of The Lake: China Girl.
The Byron Kennedy Award was tonight presented to filmmakers Martin Butler and Bentley Dean,
Congratulating this year’s Award recipients, AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella said, “In a year that saw our industry deliver some of the strongest and most diverse stories we’ve ever seen, we are delighted to see such a varied slate of productions, people and performances recognised.
“Tonight’s recipients serve as an inspiration to the industry and audiences alike. In particular, I’d like to congratulate our inaugural Best Asian Film Award winner, Dangal, and our individual Award recipients: Phillip Noyce, Simon Baker, Martin Butler and Bentley Dean.”
The AACTA Award-winning Sunshine is streaming now at SBS On Demand:
